Could not the person who is going to have a brood bitch, have it straight from the dam? Is there a reason why it is 'puppy walked' first?

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Yes, there are many health tests they need to undergo. Sometimes their 'plumbing' doesn't work well enough to become stud dogs or brood bitches. For example my friend's pup was down to become a stud dog but his testicles never descended. So, when he's 12 months old he'll be neutered then go to school to become a Guide Dog.

Also, brood bitch holders often don't have time to puppy walk - or don't want to.

I know one BBH who always keeps one pup and puppy walks it. The last one he kept is now also a BB and he has two of them. One had pups in July and one a few weeks ago - this man is truly dedicated!!

Here is a photo of his latest puppy pile (golden retrievers)

Photos like this make me want to do it - fortunately I live too far away. I know I wouldn't cope with my 'baby' having babies!

I have a friend of a friend who has a brood bitch. One pup developed a very bad skin condition when sent to puppy school and so was withdrawn, the breeder was asked if she would like the pup back and she said yes. The skin condition cleared almost immediately, the pup was stressed in the school.

Interesting that in the UK the puppies are whelped in the home. In NZ they're born and raised at the breeding centre (from what I can tell from Facebook). Same thing for detector dogs, all the tiny puppy photos are at the centres, then they go to their foster homes. I assume that the brood bitches live in homes the rest of the time.

This is Alfie - Mollie's brother. He's going to be a Medical Detection dog.

They've both got the same serious expression (20 weeks old)

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Ooo... he's seriously handsome too. Good genes! But I do feel we need to tell them some doggie jokes or something - always the "I have some very bad news to tell you but I'm trying to be sensitive" face. Maybe little doggie t-shirts saying, "I"m laughing on the inside!"??

The loose lead walking is the thing I think I'm most afraid of messing up with a puppy. Brogan just kind of came hard wired to walk nicely on a leash. Sure, we refined it together, but he was never, ever a puller. I think odds are quite low that lightening is going to hit twice, so I've got some learning to do!

The loose lead walking is the thing I think I'm most afraid of messing up with a puppy. Brogan just kind of came hard wired to walk nicely on a leash. Sure, we refined it together, but he was never, ever a puller. I think odds are quite low that lightening is going to hit twice, so I've got some learning to do!

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Luna is such a plodder, it's a bit weird for me! I'm sure it won't last, though

Luna is such a plodder, it's a bit weird for me! I'm sure it won't last, though

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Mmmm...you never know. It could last, couldn't it?

Brogan was certainly what you would have called a "plodder". If anything, my bigger issue was him lagging behind me, not pulling ahead. In his latter years, if I had him in strolling mode vs. working mode, he liked to do what I call the "tourist drag" and make himself slow down and look pitiful so that tourists would stop and pet him and give him cookies for being such a "poor old dog". Heh, heh. And that's when we were still jogging 2-3 miles five days a week. What a faker. And I loved him for it.

I've been doing all the right things except for one crucial point. Well, two really.

So, from being a small pup we stop or turn tail whenever the lead goes taut - i.e. if they start pulling. We treat a LOT as this is one of the hardest things they need to learn. At first we have the treat in our right hand by our left thigh, where the pup can see it.

I never reached the next step. Which is this - you have the treat behind your back in your right hand and still treat often (about every ten steps), constantly using voice to keep the pup's attention. Giving them plenty of loose lead. You stop to treat and always treat in the correct position and from below. So I tend to stop when we reach a kerb etc as they have to stop there anyway, but that depends on the road. The behind your back thing is important because if they can see the treat they are hardly aware of what they are doing as their head is full of 'food food food'.

Once they are consistently and by habit walking in the right place the treats can become fewer, stepping it up again in challenging places/circumstances.

But - if something exciting comes up, like a piece of litter, we 'lead them by the nose' past it with a nice smelly treat.

It was a new teacher and she was brilliant, she showed us the moves using and imaginary dog - then said hers was the best behaved by far!!